August 26, 2015

 

Dear Friend,

 

Deeply grateful for the many ways you support Spirituality and Practice, we want you to be among the first to know about an exciting development for our future.

 

We have been looking for a long time for a legacy home for S&P that would enable us to walk in two worlds: with our online community and in face-to-face educational experiences. We have wanted a bricks-and-mortar meeting ground for mutual mentoring by youth and elders; opportunities to train students, chaplains, and other professionals in spiritual practices; and a place to house our vast library of spiritual books, DVDs, CDs, and discussion guides where others can use it in developing resources for spiritual journeys.

 

We are happy to tell you that we have found the place! And we have already begun the transition.  

 

To launch this new direction for S&P, we are moving the organization in September from New York City to Claremont, California. We are establishing a Center for Spirituality & Practice affiliated with the Claremont School of Theology (CST).

 

CST has Methodist roots, an ecumenical history, and an interreligious vision. Our discussions with the CST leadership and spirituality faculty have convinced us that collaborating with them will enable us to expand the ways we apply spiritual practices where they are needed in our times.

                       

We will be able to have students working with us in our new offices right next door to the seminary. In addition to continuing our non-degree e-course program, we can contribute to hybrid degree and certificate programs in which much of the coursework can be completed online, allowing for a global reach. This affiliation will bring new voices and talents to S&P, alongside our own (to dispel any rumors, we are not retiring!), and ensure that the website will continue to serve you and so many others around the world for years to come.

 

We are so gratified by the responses we received when we shared this news with two close colleagues of S&P: Cynthia Bourgeault, who is director of the Contemplative Society, an Episcopal priest, and an internationally known retreat leader; and Thomas Moore, a pioneer explorer of the sacred art of soulful living who has been a monk and a psychotherapist and today writes and lectures widely on holistic medicine, religion, and the arts. Here's how they responded to the news of S&P's new home and affiliation.   

 

 

Please join us in celebrating this special moment in the history of Spirituality & Practice, which is our life's work. We will soon send you some information on how you can support this transition and expansion by becoming a "Founding Practicing Partner" of the Center for Spirituality & Practice.

 

But for today, with smiles on our faces, we are sending blessings to all of you and ask that you keep us and this move in your thoughts and prayers.

 

Salaam, Shalom, Shanti, Peace,

 

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Co-Directors, Spirituality & Practice